In Which I Eat My Way Through Holland

How can you travel without eating any and everything? Plus, I convinced myself that biking each day would cancel out all the foods I planned to inhale.

My first foray into Dutch food was a big fat serving of frites with mayonaise. Possibly this was something I ate almost daily. I’m not sold on the mayo, but ketchup wasn’t hard to come by.

On board the boat, we were also treated to amazing Indonesian food and a special breakfast of crepes and poffertjes. The poffertjes were so good that when I got together with sewing friends on Saturday, we sought them out at the open air market.

Poffertjes, little puffy pancakes served with powder sugar or syrup.

Trena and I both caved for stroopwafels. Now, I’ve had them pre-packed from Trader Joe’s so I had a sense of what they would be like.

But, let me tell you that popping hot fresh ones made to order are the things dreams are made from.

Our last night’s dinner was at Bolhoed (the Dutch word for a bowler hat) in Amsterdam.

I had the Bolhead special with fresh white Dutch asparagus. Can I just tell you I bought strawberries at the market that actually tasted sweet and like strawberries?!?

A dining companion went with the quiche.

Trena, had chocolate.

I’m also happy to report that beer costs as much as bottled water in the restaurants. I don’t actually like beer so I thought I’d try a lambic. Trena thinks it tasted like cough syrup.

13 thoughts on “In Which I Eat My Way Through Holland”

Girlfriend, you’ve done me proud. The only reason I exercise at all is so that I can eat what I want to. That looks like some might fine food consumed. I want to go back to Amersterdam now! (That town hall from the previous post is very cute, agreed.)

Lordy my mouth is watering! Friet and pindasaus (peanut sauce), friet and frietsaus!. I used to live in Holland (in Rijswijk, kinda between Den Haag and Delft), and we’d go to the friet man almost everyday after school. I hope you got to try oliebollen, too. What I miss the mostest about Holland, tho, is the salty licorice candy– Dubbel Zout Driehoekjes in particular. It’s a wonder I didn’t weight 600 lbs by the time we left.

My hubby is Dutch and we live near a Dutch Settlement here in Montana. The foods the people eat here are different from what they serve in the Netherlands for the most part now-they brought over recipes for “poor peoples’ food.” I do love oliebollen, glad to see they still eat it over there. Do try the banketletters-heaven in a pastry crust. You might ask if they still eat barley cooked in buttermilk. That is my favorite. And of course the Dutch love potatoes in any form. That is what most of the Dutch farmers in Montana grow. There are rumors that the original settlers smuggled seed potatoes into the US in their luggage. A good, strong people.

Oh this post makes my mouth water! My Mum is Dutch, and I just love the food in Holland. I do make poffertjes at home, but have to wait for New Year for my Oma to make Oliebollen (my FAVOURITE). I need to save up to take my kids over there so we can eat frites with mayonnaise every day. YUM